Wedding Planning Tips?

[Daiyuflower]

Is anyone else trying to plan a wedding?  My fiance and I are getting married sometime next spring, and I'm starting the process of trying to put everything together.  It's so hard and sometimes I get overwhelmed @_@  I'm going on my first dress shopping trip this weekend, and also spending time looking through bridal magazines to decide on theme/colors.  I keep wavering on what kind of theme I want, because there are so many pretty ideas out there!  At the moment, I'm in love with a woodland or enchanted forest look:
http://pinterest.com/sharonrains/woodland-wedding/

Anyways, for those of you who have done this already, do you have any tips on how to keep it all together and stay sane? 

[melodys_angel]

Well, big congrats!  I havent been in that exact boat yet but I have been there to help out a few friends.  I think the main things are to try not to procrastinate, but do small things at a time so the 'omg theres so much to do' factor is somewhat less then it typically is.  Like moving, it will just creep up on you leaving you wondering where the time went.

Im sure others can further expand on this though^^   Goodluck, hun <3

[Katika]

What I did when planning my wedding was close my eyes and just see what kind of wedding popped up.  I knew from the start that my colors would be green and pink (my absolute FAVORITE color combo), but when I shut my eyes, they were more muted than I imagined.  I got lots of silvers and whites, and slowly my vision started to form.  Can't really explain it any better.

Then, you have to think, do you want it classy?  Like a party?  Carefree?  There is no right or wrong - your wedding is individual to you and your fiance.

I found that it was less stressful to plan things in little parts - like instead of sitting down and hammering out the guest list all at once, I'd work on it for ten minutes, then quit to come back to it later.  If I thought of someone later, I'd jot the name down and next time I worked on the guest list, I'd add them.  Same thing with decor and cakes and all sorts of things.  The best thing that you can do is to just start going out to flourists and bakeries and that sort of thing, just to see what they have to offer.  Be honest with them - tell them that you're wedding planning, but just shopping for *ideas* NOT necessarily looking to book them.

What I had the absolute worst time with was learning to "ignore" the "helpful" suggestions my recently-married friends gave me.  I got a LOT of "Oh!  You want to know what we did that was really cute?"  Honestly, I'm fine that it was really cute for them, but I wanted my wedding to be my own.  I listened nicely, but ultimately wanted to do my own thing, which I think I achieved.

I was also a very hands-on bride (which freaked everyone from my mom to the wedding planner out - they didn't realize why I wasn't too overwhelmed already, lol) - painted the centerpieces with my MoH, moved tables in the reception hall at 11pm the night before my wedding (they litterally had to push me out the door to go home to go to bed, lol) and made my own favors and placecards and that kind of thing.  I am a bit of a control freak, so I think that was my way of trying to make sure everything was perfect - don't know if that's big on your list or not, but it's something to think about.  If you have a set vision that cannot be compromised, it might be easier to be as involved down to the last napkin as you can.

My last bit of advice that I can think of right now is to remind you that even if something ends up *not* being right (we had the surprise of not getting the right cake - !!!  Thankfully, I steadfastly refused to tell people what to expect out of the cake, so there was little more than a picture of me looking at my mom with a big frown, pointing at the cake as evidence to this), there's going to be so much else that *is* going right that it really won't be as catastrophic as you might be afraid of.  Everyone that attends is going to be there because they love you and want to celebrate with you.  They're not going to be nearly as judgemental over what it looks like as you might think they will - the people that matter most on that day are you and your fiance.  Even (most) things that might find there way to go wrong will be forgotten, and you'll remember the good stuff

[Kiwi]

Don't rush into any decisions. Take the time to research and check things out - you don't want to jump into something you'll regret. This is your day.

The big things to get booked are: location (also may affect your date), photographer, DJ, and food (if not included with location). Those are the things likely to book up fast. And most aren't dependent on your style/theme/colours/etc.

After that, you slowly work your way down from big items to small details. Dresses are good to start on soon, as they take time. Most everything afterwards will fall into place.

[Daiyuflower]

Thanks so much for the tips!  I'm definitely trying to take it a piece at a time and do my research.  We're having an out of state wedding in my hometown, so that makes it harder too   I'm trying to do a lot of venue scouting online so that when we take trips back, there aren't as many places and vendors to visit. 

[aellos]

I'm in the about to plan stage, but not quite planning yet, but I have been told that you can pick up stuff from the book store that act as planners for it. It has checklists and ideas and the such. I plan on getting one of those, and it might help you.

Right now, I think you want to book the venue, start finding a dress, and getting some initial planning done.

[lisey_baby]

When we planned our wedding, one of the first things we decided on was colours scheme. Really helped us fit everything else into place. Good luck with the planning

[Daiyuflower]

When we planned our wedding, one of the first things we decided on was colours scheme. Really helped us fit everything else into place. Good luck with the planning

I loved looking at your wedding photos in the Brags!  You guys were so creative with the cupcakes and Wellies ^_^

[lisey_baby]

When we planned our wedding, one of the first things we decided on was colours scheme. Really helped us fit everything else into place. Good luck with the planning

I loved looking at your wedding photos in the Brags!  You guys were so creative with the cupcakes and Wellies ^_^

Aww thank you, glad you liked them! I'd also say pick your venue early as well as you can work your theme/colour scheme around that, we had our wedding in a barn and that's how I came up with using wellies at centre pieces

[Eviecorn]

Congratulations!  Weddings are hectic to say the least.  My biggest piece of advice, no matter how you plan - don't let anyone step on your toes or force you to do what you don't want.  It's your day.  You get this ONCE.

The VERY first thing you need to do?  BOOK THE LOCATION.  This can decide a lot of things - date (you may need to change your date for availability), decorating, number of guests, flowers, even the attire.

Pinterest is AMAZING.  Also, look at magazines (don't bother to buy - get old ones people don't want anymore.)  If you see a design element or color palette you like, rip it on out and put it up on a corkboard or your fridge.  This is what we did for my sister's wedding, in the days before Pinterest.

Take your time, make a budget that can be a little flexible, and ask other brides.  There are many fine bridal communities on the internet - I recommend The Knot.  Above all, good luck! 

[kaoskat]

Breathe. That's about it. And keep in mind that even if things aren't "perfect" it doesn't mean you can't still have a perfect day.

[Roccoriel]

We're planning for a late June wedding next year.  I've joined the Knot and it has been infinitely helpful.  You can make "inspiration" boards where you save pictures of things you think might be interesting, research vendors in your area, and make a budget.  It also gives you a timeline, so you can avoid that last minute rush!  It also has tips on colors, how to select vendors, and general wedding ideas.

Also, what Kiwi said.  Book your location to double check your date based on their availability.  From there, book a DJ, a photographer, and a caterer as they book fast!  The DJ we're using is booked every Saturday in June for next year!  Lucky we're getting married on a Sunday.  Oh, and Friday and Sunday weddings are often easier to book and sometimes a little less expensive!

For your budget, make it flexible (i.e. if you can spend no more that $25,000 (average in US), then budget for $20,000 so you have room to move on some things) and realize that sometimes you'll end up spending way less than you budget for on some things and way more on other.  You just have to make sure it balances out.  For example, we're trying to stay $4,000 under our max budget.  We are WAY under budget on the DJ.  This allows us to go fairly over budget on catering and alcohol if needed without maxing out our budget.

[Daiyuflower]

I really appreciate all these wonderful tips  

Can people weigh in on afternoon vs. evening weddings?  The place we're looking at charges about $6k more for a Saturday evening than a Saturday afternoon, and I'm not sure if it's worth it.  I do like the idea of low light and candles, but I'm sure an afternoon wedding could look just as magical.

[lisey_baby]

I really appreciate all these wonderful tips  

Can people weigh in on afternoon vs. evening weddings?  The place we're looking at charges about $6k more for a Saturday evening than a Saturday afternoon, and I'm not sure if it's worth it.  I do like the idea of low light and candles, but I'm sure an afternoon wedding could look just as magical.

We had a whole day thing, but in the UK you have to get married before dusk. We went for a Sunday as it was cheaper, maybe that's the same for you?

[Roccoriel]

I really appreciate all these wonderful tips  

Can people weigh in on afternoon vs. evening weddings?  The place we're looking at charges about $6k more for a Saturday evening than a Saturday afternoon, and I'm not sure if it's worth it.  I do like the idea of low light and candles, but I'm sure an afternoon wedding could look just as magical.

We had a whole day thing, but in the UK you have to get married before dusk. We went for a Sunday as it was cheaper, maybe that's the same for you?

Yes, if you're not set on Saturday, but you must have an evening wedding, what about doing it a different day?  Friday and Sunday are less popular and thus often less expensive than Saturday.  Or, if it won't hurt your guest list, week days are cheaper, too.